ENDING: Buy Hyatt Points with the best bonus usually offered (+ an increased purchase limit)

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Update: It looks as if Hyatt has increased the annual purchase limit from 55,000 points to an impressive 110,000 points

The current Hyatt points sale offers World of Hyatt members the same 40% bonus that was on offer over the summer and, just as it did then, that 40% represents the best bonus that Hyatt generally offers in its points sales…but the sale is ending tomorrow.

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The more important info

  • Sale runs through 18 October 2019 (tomorrow!)
  • Earn a 40% bonus by purchasing a minimum 10,000 points
  • World of Hyatt members can buy a maximum of 55,000 points per calendar year (excluding bonuses)

The full terms and conditions have been reproduced at the end of this post and can also be found on the sale page.

The numbers

One of the better aspects of this sale is that Hyatt doesn’t mess around with the price of points within a given bonus band so, as the latest bouns band runs from 10,000 points to 55,000 points, any number of points that you buy within that band will come at the same cost/point.

Here’s the math to show just that:

If you were to buy just 10,000 Hyatt points it would cost just $240 and you would net a total of 14,000 points (once the bonus points are factored in).

a close-up of a receipt

Here you’re buying points at approximately 1.71 cents each.

At the opposite end of the buying range, if you were to buy the full allowance of 55,000 points it would cost you $1,320 and you would net 77,000 points.

a close-up of a lottery ticket

Once again this equates to buying points at approximately 1.71 cents each.

Is this a good deal?

Yes, if you know what you’re doing and you put a little effort into working out how you’ll be using any points you buy.

I’ll happily admit that I value Hyatt points at a conservative 1.4 cents each so it may appear a little strange for me to say that a points purchase at 1.71 cents/point can be a good deal…but it can be.

I use my 1.4 cents/point valuation as a point at which I’m happy to buy points with very little concern about how I’m going to use them – I consider this to be a prudent rate at which to value them and a rate at which I know I’ll easily be able to get value out of my purchase.

Buying points at 1.71 cents and making them work for you requires more thought and planning but it can still be a good idea…and here’s how.

Here’s the current World of Hyatt award chart which should always be your starting point when deciding how economically you can use any points you buy.

a table with numbers and text

  • Buying points in this sale and using them to book a top-tier Hyatt property (Category 7) would see you pay approximately $510/night
  • Buying points and using them to book a top-tier SLH property (Category 8) would see you pay approximately $684/night

I consider both of those scenarios to be expensive and I do not advise buying points if that’s how you plan to use them.

Ok, yes, if you already have a stay booked at a super-expensive property where a single night can easily cost upwards of $800 (e.g. the Park Hyatt New York or the Park Hyatt Maldives), then it may make sense to buy some points in this sale if you want to add on another night to your stay…but I can’t see the logic in buying points just to book a 1-night stay.

If you’re looking to get real value out of this sale it’s the mid-tier properties that you should probably be focusing on (and possibly the occasional low-tier property) although it’s still far from a certainty that you’re guaranteed to get a fantastic deal.

I’m going to use the Andaz London Liverpool Street as an example to illustrate what I mean.

This property falls into Category 5 so an award night here will cost 20,000 points/night.

On a random night in May, an entry-level room at this property will cost £366 (~$457)…

a screenshot of a hotel website

…but an award booking is also available.

a screenshot of a hotel

Using points to book a room on this particular night would see you get approximately 2.29 cents of value out of each point used and that’s not a bad deal if you only paid 1.71 cents per point in the first place.

Effectively you would have paid $342 for a room that would otherwise have cost $457 so you would have saved $115 buy buying points in this sale.

But…

Just as this property can prove my point that it can be a good idea to buy points in this sale it can also prove my point that you need to be careful – buying points and then using them without working out the value you’ll be getting is a great way to lose money.

In January the Andaz Liverpool Street can be booked for £238 (~$297) or 20,000 points so if you were to use points to make this booking you’d only be getting approximately 1.49 cents of value out of every point you used….and that’s a terrible deal if you originally bought those points at 1.71 cents each.

Buying points in this sale can definitely save you money but you need to be selective with your bookings if you’re to guarantee a good return on the money you spend.

Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo
The lobby of the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo

Don’t forget

Hyatt points sales are processed by Points.com so you’re not going to get a credit card travel/hotel category bonus if you buy points in this sale.

This is a good time to use a card on which you’re looking to earn a welcome bonus or a card whose points you value highly.

My personal preference would be to use card_name, the card_name or another strong cash back credit card.

Bottom line

In some cases this sale doesn’t represent a great deal even though this is the best bonus we see Hyatt offer but, as I’ve shown, there will be instances where buying points in this sale can save a World of Hyatt member quite a bit of money…and I found the example I gave above without any trouble whatsoever so it won’t be too hard to find a good deal if you’re prepared to put in a little work.

As always, it all comes down to individual circumstances and math.

If you’re planning a stay in the next few months, you should check award availability, compare the cash rate to the number of points needed, do the math and see if buying points at 1.71 cents each could save me some money – there’s a good chance that it will.

Click to Buy Hyatt Points

Full terms & conditions per Hyatt

  • Offer available with purchases made between 12:01 am ET September 17, 2019 and ends 11:59 pm October 18, 2019.
  • Purchase 10,000 or more Bonus Points in a single transaction and receive 40% additional Bonus Points.
  • Bonus Points will be awarded upon completion of individual transaction.
  • In order to participate in a purchase transaction, you must be a member for at least 60 days to purchase or receive Bonus Points.
  • Bonus Points can be purchased in increments of 1,000, up to 55,000 points per calendar year.
  • Members can receive points in increments of 1,000, up to 55,000 points per calendar year.
  • Additional Bonus Points awarded under this offer do not count towards these maximums.
  • Offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer.
  • Only purchases made online are eligible for the promotion.
  • Price includes all applicable fees.
  • GST/HST will be charged to Canadian residents.
  • This transaction is completed by Points.com.
  • Purchased points are not refundable and transactions are non-reversible.
  • Purchased points are applicable toward all World of Hyatt awards.
  • Points purchased using this option will post within 48 hours.
  • You may purchase World of Hyatt Bonus points in increments of 1,000 up to 55,000 points per calendar year.
  • Purchased points do not count toward World of Hyatt elite membership tiers.
  • All World of Hyatt Terms and Conditions apply.